Overview

As part of the Electronic Health Record, the Provincial Provider Registry (PPR) is a trusted source of health service provider information for regulated members of the health professional colleges that fall under the Health Professions Act (HPA).

PPR’s mandate is to support the government’s goal of safe, effective patient care by providing a single source for health service professional information. The information is used to support health workforce planning and the delivery of health services.

How the PPR works

Collection of information

The regulatory health professional colleges provide most of the information, as defined in the HPA and regulations. The health profession college registrars are required under the HPA to collect specific information from their members.

  • Section 122 (1)(b)(i)-(ii) of the HPA enables the Minister of Health to request health service provider information from the college.

The regulated colleges send the information to the PPR, and becomes available to authorized health service organizations such as Alberta Health Services (AHS), and divisions of the Ministry of Health, such as the Health Workforce Planning and Accountability Division.

Health service providers listings can only be created in the PPR by the colleges. Secondary sources, such as AHS and the Ministry of Health, can only include additional information to existing health service provider records.

IDs assigned

When included the PPR, a health service provider who is licensed in a specific health professional role, such as a medical doctor, is assigned a Health Services Provider Identifier (HSPID).

  • The HSPID is a unique, public, static and non-sequential identifier assigned by the Ministry of Health to each health service provider of interest to the health system, specific to their health service role.

Health service providers should ensure their information is up-to-date and accurate. Updates are done through the regulatory colleges. It is the responsibility of the colleges to ensure their data is correct.

PPR data collected

The PPR includes health service provider data required for identity management, including:

  • name
  • college and registration number
  • date of birth
  • gender

AHS and other authorized health service organizations require additional information about the health service providers’ scope and authorization to practice. This includes:

  • the college and category of register
  • registration numbers and other key identifiers
  • licensing status
  • expertise
  • conditions
  • enhancements and restrictions to practice
  • business contact information

Information accessible through the PPR will help ensure organizations know if a health service provider is licensed to practice.

The collection, use, and disclosure of information collected in the PPR is governed by a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) approved by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC).

Contact

To connect with the Provincial Provider Registry office email: providerregistry@gov.ab.ca.